How Security Communications Gives Recruiting an Edge

Lauren Bryant has worked as a senior technical recruiter at Uber, Paypal, Lime, and more. Here, she discusses the critical relationship between recruiting and communications teams when it comes to hiring the best and brightest in cybersecurity and technology today.

What sets security recruiting apart from other tech disciplines?

What fascinates me about finding talent in the security space is that all of the candidates have such interesting backgrounds. They typically don’t have a traditional career path or educational background and that intrigues me.

How have the expectations of cybersecurity candidates changed over the last few years in terms of what they expect companies to share publicly before considering a role on their team?

Candidates are increasingly interested in a company's security stance and approach. These days, security breaches are highly publicized, and most informed candidates will research these things prior to interviewing, which may or may not form their opinion about a company and its security team. This research often includes how they handle data breaches and the company’s commitment to maintaining privacy.

How can communications colleagues can help you as a recruiter.

Security communications matter in every company. Often recruiters aren’t in the loop or armed with the right messaging and talking points about a company’s security posture – or if there has been a security incident or other reputation-affecting situation. Not all tech candidates will ask about these things, but security candidates often want to know.

I want to be as honest and transparent as I can be with potential hires, so having accurate information from my security communications colleagues makes a big difference. Some companies are better at this than others and that impacts how they’re perceived by candidates even before they start interviewing.

How can companies demonstrate to potential new hires that they take security seriously?

It’s important for security leaders to be communicating externally and on a regular basis about the importance of security and what their teams are building. Security professionals are attending conferences, reading blogs and research - and security is a small industry - everyone knows everyone else, so people know each other and their reputations. All of this matters when it comes to attracting top talent, so I really appreciate security communications professionals who can provide a proactive and ongoing cadence of resources.

How can a company distinguish themselves when hiring for security?

A lot of people work in cybersecurity because they want to make an impact, so it’s important to be clear about the potential impact a candidate will make on the company or community overall. For instance, at a fintech company, security teams are critical in protecting the financial assets of your customers - I would stress that in your communications with candidates. I also think sharing as much as you can about budgets for training and possibilities for career growth is helpful, including offering communications training to help individuals succeed in cross functional roles and when transitioning from IC to management roles.

It’s also good for security recruiters to meet with the CISO on a regular basis, to learn and understand their program and priorities so we can speak to that when talking to candidates. Additionally, stay in close collaboration with your security communications colleagues to ensure you have the materials you need to put your best foot forward on behalf of the security team. After all, recruiters may be the only person a candidate speaks to before deciding whether to apply to a particular role - we are the face and voice of the company, and in security, reputation matters.